Why I Love Me Some Google

Allow me to introduce you to my brand new favorite technological doohickey: Google Calendar.


Before you say anything, yes, yes, I know--I'm the last kid on the block to take advantage of this small-time wonder. Let me have my fun. It's neat, okay?

For those of you who are like me and have dwelt in ignorance for far too long, let me explain. Google Calendar essentially does what most of us did on our own, but makes it look much cooler. Meaning, it takes the "Monthly" page from those old-fashioned planners you find at Office Max (which are so last millennium, by the way), and allows you to customize it to fit your needs. You can add events that can occur once, twice or even weekly or daily--all at the touch of a button. No more handwriting those monthly office meeting dates over and over again, kiddos! With Google Calendar, you just enter in the information one time, and it's all done for you.

And here's my absolute favoritest favorite part: You can have multiple calendars side-by-side and color-coordinate all of them to tell them apart! Eeeek! Back in my perfectionist high-school days, I used to color-coordinate everything in my planner just like this, except I used highlighters and multicolored pens. Oh, but this is so much better! Sheer awesomeness.

While I still use my regular planner for my day-to-day scheduling, Google Calendar is great for helping me establish and maintain certain routines (i.e., taking daily walks with the hubby or setting aside regular writing time), which is exactly why I find it so ingenious. I'm a tad embarrassed to say it, but I'm actually looking for things to schedule into the calendar now just because it looks so darn cute. We'll see if I still feel this way a month from now. Perhaps it won't help me become more organized at all. For the time being, however, I plan to revel in the novelty of yet another web application.

Time to share now, boys and girls. How do you keep your crazy schedules straight? Any technology involved? Or, are you still searching to find a method to the madness?

A Brief Hiatus/POV Concerns

Gracious! Has it already been a week since my last post? Wow. I've been working on several newspaper articles lately, and I have one more piece to finish before the end of the week. Between the research, interviewing and the writing itself, I'm keeping quite busy. Not that I'm complaining. Quite the contrary. These days, I'm grateful for whatever work I can get.

Anyway, today I thought I'd pose a question to you all about my current WIP. As I've mentioned before, it's a YA sci-fi novel tentatively titled, The Shifter Files, and I'm totally and completely psyched about it. As much as superhero stories have been done to death, I'm hoping to tell the same ol' yarn in a fresh, exciting way. Most of the characters are still pretty sketchy, but they have the potential to be really dynamic. I just need to flesh them out...a lot.

Therein lies the problem. See, the other day I came across this post by YA author Dawn Metcalf (via Super Agent Janet Reid's blog). Metcalf doesn't mince words when it comes to her dislike of first-person narrative, despite the fact that it's practically the standard point-of-view in YA fiction. And yet, she goes on to sing the praises of Avery Cates, the narrator and protagonist in Jeff Somers' The Electric Church. Here's an interesting snippet from her comments:

"...there is no question in my mind that Avery Cates is not “redeemable” – he will continue to kill people, he will still make bad choices, and he will continue to do horrific things in order to keep himself alive and I’ll still want to read what happens to him...I can empathize with Avery Cates (even though I’d never want to meet an Avery Cates!) but it’s not because I can sympathize with him; it’s because in the pages of Somers’ book, I am Avery Cates."

That got me thinking--well, perhaps I should say worried--about how I'm handling TSF. I adore my heroine. She's tough, she resourceful and she doesn't think twice about shooting her mouth off at shapeshifting terrorists. She's a heck of a lot cooler than I am. So when the idea for TSF first popped into my head, my first instinct was to tell the story from her perspective. And it worked well...in the beginning.

Problem is, the further I get into the story, the more I find myself wanting to pull out of her head and take a bird's-eye view of everything. I feel like I'm losing my heroine's voice. Like Avery Cates, she's an assassin, and sometimes I wonder if the impartial, observatory tone of third-person would be a better fit for the story. On the other hand, I'm nowhere near finished developing her yet. It could be that the reason I'm struggling with her voice is because I simply don't know her well enough yet.

I'm halfway through the story right now, so I feel the need to choose one way or the other. I'd hate to discover that I was using the wrong point-of-view the entire time and have to completely rewrite it.

What do you ladies and gents think? Any thoughts? Suggestions? How do you determine which point-of-view to use in your stories?

Time For Some Spring Cleaning!

Yay! Spring officially begins this month, although in most parts of the country, the weather doesn't seem to have gotten the memo:


Still, you know what they say: "March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb." Let's hope it happens that way this year!

In honor of the changing seasons, I'm doing a bit of spring cleaning--starting with this blog! Those of you who have been with me for a while will notice that I've given it quite a face lift. While I always liked the old design, this one feels a bit more like me--colorful, quirky and a little whimsical. So what do you think? Is it a keeper? Let me know your thoughts!

I think you'll be happy to know that the blog's outward appearance is only one of the changes I have planned for this month. I'd like to add more features that will make it more interactive, more informative, and hopefully, more fun for you to visit! But to do that, I need your feedback.

So over the course of the next week or so, I'll be asking a lot of questions to get a feel for what you like about this blog and what you think should be done differently. You guys and gals are the lifesblood of this place; you're what makes it a great spot to hang out, and your comments and suggestions are what will take it to the next level.

I've had a few new followers over the last couple of days, so if you're new to the party--welcome! I'm glad to have you and I hope to make this the kind of blog you look forward to reading every day.

Will The REAL Writers Please Stand Up?

I've held my peace on this issue for quite some time now, but lately things have gotten out of hand. I'm mad enough to blow my top, and it's time you all knew why.*

Just about all my favorite literary agents have experienced a huge jump in the number of queries they've received this year over last year, and most of them (understandably) are not happy about it. Everyone from Nathan Bransford to Janet Reid to Jennifer Jackson has mentioned it at some point over the last few weeks. Many of them, like Rachelle Gardner and Colleen Lindsay, have had to change their submission guidelines just to keep up with the madness. Some, like Rachel Vater, are no longer accepting submissions at all.

And the reason the query floodgates have suddenly opened up? Most of the above agents seem to have reached the same conclusion: It's the economy, stupid. All the Joe and Jane Schmos out there who can't get jobs have mutually decided they are all qualified to become writers. Why not? They have nothing better to do. How hard could it be?

So, they park their happy behinds in front of their desktops, plunk down some 150,000-word monstrosity and email it off a month later to the first agent listed under a search for "writing agents" on Google. Grr. It's enough to make me want to pull out my hair.

It's not that I can't handle competition. Heck, I've been competitive since kindergarten, when I was the last person to finish coloring my picture because I wanted it to be the prettiest in the class. I have a true Type-A personality; I live and breathe this stuff, man. My problem is a little something we learned in elementary school--it's called following directions. It's something many of these new so-called writers aren't doing, and it's ruining things for the rest of us who actually take this thing seriously.

Look, I get that writing is a weird and mysterious thing. I also get that to people unfamiliar with the publishing industry, the querying process might as well be in another language for all the sense it makes. It can get complicated pretty fast.

But you know what? That's why we have the Internet. Five minutes is long enough to learn everything you need to know about a literary agent--any literary agent. Everything--from submission guidelines to lists of recent clients--is right there at your fingertips, waiting for you to take advantage of it. And yet, because so many writers are too ignorant, too lazy, too...I have no idea what...to do their homework, they're making it that much harder for those of us who know what we're doing to get a fair shot.

I realize I'm probably preaching to the choir here. The people who read this blog are the ones who are not only querying agents properly, but getting requests for partials and fulls and even--dare I say it--that prized offer of representation. You're the ones doing it right, and I salute and admire you for it!

Still, if you could just pass on a message for me to the others, the impostors out there who call themselves writers... Tell them I said not to waste their time. If they can't bother to look up the name of an agent before sending a query, if they can't make the effort to find out what that agent represents, and if they can't find the time to read both inside and outside of their genre, they have no business chasing after the dream of the Great American Novel. Tell them they're better off self-publishing or not publishing at all. Leave the traditional publishing ventures to the pros--people who really do it for a living, not just folks who woke up one day and thought it might be sorta cool.

Being a writer is like most other things: Just because everyone can do it doesn't mean everyone should.

*Thanks to Julie Butcher-Fedynich over at Fire Drill for inspiring this post with her fantastic rant yesterday!

The Waiting Game

Lately I've observed that quite a few of my fellow writers have taken that brave, brave step we all hope to make someday: querying literary agents. Yikes. I have yet to tackle it myself, but I've heard that the whole process is one big, ugly, scary beast, no matter how many times you face it. Even the jargon is intimidating; queries, partials, fulls, exclusives, contracts... Ugh! I can see why so many people opt for the self-publication route. Sometimes I feel like it would be easier to take my manuscript to the nearest Kinko's and hand out copies of it outside Barnes and Noble.

But no. I, like many of you, have chosen to take the road less traveled by. The traditional route, with all its wrinkles and hangups and inefficiencies. Say what you will about traditional publishing--it's still the best thing we've got, at least for the time being (although if Nathan Bransford's post today is any indication, that may change sooner rather than later).

As I read about each writer's querying experience, they all touched in some way on the agony of waiting, which was often compounded by the sting of rejection whenever it came. All of them also had different ways of coping while they waited. Debra "kept on truckin'" with other writing projects, while Michelle made light of the situation with hand drawn pictures and a fun discussion with her blog followers. When things didn't go in his favor, Jon kept his perspective by looking at the bigger picture.

Personally, I found all of their stories inspiring in different ways. They made me think about how I'll handle the inevitable waiting that happens during every part of the publication process. I hope when my time comes, I'll have the patience and grace to cope with it as well as these writers do.

What about you? Are you playing the waiting game right now? How are you coping? How do you plan to cope when it's your turn?

Are You Up For A Challenge?

Greetings, all! When it comes to freelance writing, I pride myself on working efficiently and producing high-quality results. However, it seems like whenever I pull out my fiction projects--which aren't paying me a dime--the right side of my brain seizes up and refuses to cooperate. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm a recovering procrastinator. *sigh*

Fortunately, all is not lost. I've discovered a simple treatment for my condition, one that makes it much easier for me to release the stories inside me that are just dying to get out. I need accountability. That's why I've been able to commit to this blog (more or less) for the past month, even though I've failed at every attempt I ever made to keep a journal. I don't love writing any more now than I did when I wrote my thoughts in a secret notebook. I just keep at it because I know someone out there is watching me.

It's also the reason I've done so well during National Novel Writing Month. Although I've never "won" by writing the full 50,000 words, I write more during that contest than at any other time of the year, simply because I have a support system. I have people cheering for me, urging me forward, and I do the same for them. We all have the same goal, and we're rushing towards it at full speed.

Well, now I get to have that experience all over again, thanks to fellow writer Melissa Marsh. She created an event called the Just Write Challenge, and I like to think of it as a smaller, more customized version of NaNoWriMo. Instead of everyone pushing to write 50k, we each get to set our own writing goals for the month. Those who reach their individual finish lines will receive fabulous writerly prizes. It's like a marathon where you can run as far and as fast as you want; in the end, everyone wins!

I love the concept, so I jumped on board as soon as I found out about it. My goal is a simple one; I want to write 1,000 words per day on my current WIP, a YA sci-fi novel that I started last November. I'll be chronicling my JWC adventures here at RLGL throughout the month so you can take part in every step of the journey.

Thanks a bunch to Angie Ledbetter over at Gumbo Writer for spreading the word about this great event! Check out the JWC info page on Melissa's blog for all the details. It's not too late to get involved. I just got plugged into the JWC blog yesterday, and everyone there has been wonderful. So, what do you say? Are you up for joining me in the Just Write Challenge?

5 Things To Do When The Magic's Gone

I'm not sure if it's the miserable weather, the sluggish economy, random, widespread peevishness or all of the above, but lately I've been seeing a lot of posts from writers who have the blues. And in most cases, it's on both a personal and a professional level. If you're not going through it now, chances are you've experienced it at some point in your writing career. You know the feeling; you can't really put your finger on it, but you just have a general "meh" attitude about everything. Like Grumpy Bear from the Care Bears with the raincloud picture on his chest. Not a happy camper.

Well, you can add my name to the list. I've been in that boat all year, and I'm just as clueless about my "meh"-ness as you are. It's as if the power has short-circuited in the creative part of my brain, and since I don't know which fuse has blown out, I can't fix it. Know what I mean? I just keep thinking, What gives, man?! I'm a writer. Words are supposed to just--ya know, appear--in my head, right? Right?

So. What to do? I've been thinking about it all week, and recently I came to an interesting conclusion. In my humble opinion, the act of writing is similar in many ways to a long-term relationship. The longer you do it, the easier it is to get into a routine, and although it's good to have some structure, too much can kill your Muse the same way it can kill a marriage. When that happens, some of the same suggestions relationship experts give to couples can help you regain your passion for writing. Bear with me; this analogy is a good one.

1. Remember why you fell in love (with writing) in the first place. I'm reminded of the movie Brown Sugar, a romantic comedy starring Taye Diggs and Sanaa Lathan. The two of them play best friends who realize they're also soulmates, mainly due to their mutual love of Hip-hop music. Music plays an integral role during the ups and downs of their relationship, and in the end, it is what brings them back together after a falling-out. It should be that way for writers as well. Remember what it was like to fall in love with words--the power of that moment--and write about that feeling.
   
2. Listen (to your inner writing voice). This idea applies primarily to your characters. You know that moment in the writing process when your characters seem to jump off the page? That's not you going crazy--it's the magic coming out. Listen to it, even when it doesn't make sense. More importantly, learn what your unique writing voice sounds like. We each have one, and even if it tells you to write something silly or impractical, do it anyway. Drowning it out with logic it is the first step toward permanent writer's block, and besides, you never know where that weird little voice might lead you.
   
3. Try something new. Are you a stickler for composing at the computer? Try writing longhand for a few weeks. Work exclusively in your home office? Take a field trip to your nearest library or park. Sometimes a simple change of scenery or writing medium is all it takes to get the creative juices flowing again.
   
4. Enjoy the little things. Like most careers, writing is a job that emphasizes the big accomplishments--publication, bestseller status, a three-book deal with a six-figure advance. We all want those things, but let's not forget about all of the wonderful little milestones we encounter along the way. Finishing a novel, for instance, is a remarkable achievement, and it's something millions of people will never do. Celebrating the little victories will keep you energized on your way to the big ones.
   
5. It's about the journey, not the destination. It's easy for us writers to get so caught up in the goal of publication that we forget to enjoy the process of writing itself. We rush through everything, cranking out stories the way Kraft cranks out mediocre slices of cheese. Then, we wake up one day and find we've lost touch with our characters, themes and the voice that brings our stories to life. We may want to publish our work, but first and foremost, we are storytellers. As long as we remember that, our Muse--whatever form it takes--will never be far away.
   

Embrace Your Inner Window Washer

Editor Morgan Mandel over at the Blood-Red Pencil wrote a fabulous post today comparing writers to window washers. My first thought when I saw the title was, "Huh?" But once I read the whole thing, I recognized the brilliance in the metaphor.

I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm definitely a "Category 1" window washer, although I'm trying to become a "Category 2." There are some days when my Inner Editor is so loud in my head that it's almost impossible for me to write, and there are other days when I lean more toward the Category 2 side, relaxed and in-the-moment and writing at a furious pace. Those are the moments I love, when the writing flows like clockwork, no holds barred. I'm working toward having more of those moments.

As I was writing this post, it occurred to me that the window washer metaphor doesn't just apply to writers. In fact, I'm convinced that just about anyone's approach to life itself can be defined by what type of window washer they are. I've broken down the list as follows:

Category 1 - People who diligently wash their windows. These are your "Type A" personalities-- they are often engineers, attorneys, brain surgeons, etc.; people for whom intensity, ambition and laser-sharp focus are practically job requirements. They spend their days finding flaws and correcting them (arguably, most agents, editors and publishers could fall into this category). Many of them are perfectionists.

(My father is a Category 1; so is my sister. It runs in the family. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.)

Category 2 - People who "plough ahead" and get the job done. These are the "Type B" personalities, people who tend to be more laid-back and easygoing. They don't get hung up on every little detail; they can handle it if the end result isn't perfect. They get things done, even if it's less than stellar, and they move on to the next project.

(My husband is this way, and thank God for it! He's probably the reason I don't have OCD.)

Category 3 - People who hire others to wash their windows. These, I believe, are the natural leaders of the world, the people who go on to become CEO's of Fortune 500 companies. They make sure the work gets done, but they don't do it themselves. Instead, they keep everyone organized and motivated so it gets done as efficiently as possible.

I'd like to add to this list a fourth category--the people who expect their windows to wash themselves. There are a lot of these, and if you're like me, you know more of them than you care to admit. Not to be confused with people who try and fail but keep trying anyway; no, they're the dreamers who never get off their butts in the first place. They're the ones who always say, "I'd like to write a novel one day," but they never write one word.

They don't go out and make life happen; they just expect it to fall from the sky.

So, what about you? What type of window washer are YOU? What kind do you WANT to be?

Why Do You Write?

Janet Reid, literary agent extraordinaire, had the most amazing quote on her blog today from writer Arne Garborg. Truer words were never spoken:

"For money you can have everything it is said. No, that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money."

-Arne Garborg, writer (1851-1924)

The last three sentences are what really got me. They capture with perfect eloquence the reason why so many of our beloved celebrities have such bizarre, destructive lives. Brittany Spears, Michael Vick, Lindsay Lohan, Michael Jackson... Heck, I could go on for days. They all have the shell of a wonderful life. They appear to have everything: fame, power and beauty, most of which is gained by having a certain amount of money. But they don't have the kernel. So the best things in life still elude them.

Now let's add a new dimension to this idea. In an ideal world, what would writing give you? Bestseller status? A phone call from Oprah? Multiple homes in NYC, L.A. and Miami with great ocean views? It's perfectly okay to want all of these things (I know I certainly do), just as long as you don't expect them. Editorial Ass, a.k.a. "Moonrat," says it far better than I...be aware, fellow writer, that the odds are very much against us.

Alright, before the more melodramatic among you reach for your drink of choice, remember that there is hope. One need only browse through your local Barnes & Noble or Borders to see that indeed, books still being bought and sold. Millions, probably billions, all over the world. Shocking, I know, but true. And out of all of those millions upon millions of books, a handful will become bestsellers and earn their authors a call from Oprah. A handful.

But you know that already. That's not the point. That's not why you get up before the sun or stay up long after it goes down, is it? Didn't think so. If you're like me, you do this thing we call writing because you love it, because deep down inside, you feel compelled to tell stories. You do it because there is something beautiful inside of you that needs to get out, and that something comes out whenever you put words on paper. You do it because it's what you were born to do.

So the money doesn't matter, or at least it shouldn't. If it comes to you, it's a wonderful bonus and you'll celebrate like you've lost your mind. But if it doesn't... Well, you'll survive, won't you? Because all of that extra stuff, it's just the shell anyway. It's not the kernel. The kernel is what you're doing right now. Writing. That is what "cannot be had for money."